Of Badgers, Lions and Cups
by Caz251
Summary: Cedric Diggory realises a few things about himself and his fellow Hogwarts competitor as he makes his way through the Triwizard Tournament.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Written for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Ash - **Write about Cedric Diggory, whose wand was Ash.**

Cedric Diggory was a Hufflepuff, he was hardworking and loyal; he wasn't a complete and utter duffer like the Slytherins thought. He worked hard, got good grades and was generally an all-round good guy. That was why he was happy that he had been chosen as the Hogwarts champion, he wanted to win for Hogwarts to prove the worth of Hufflepuff house. He had the support of the entire school to begin with, even the Slytherins. The Gryffindor's support waned a bit, but the Slytherin's increased, as against all odds Harry Potter had somehow been chosen as the fourth champion in the Triwizard Tournament.

He wasn't sure about the whole situation, Potter seemed to be protesting his innocence in putting his name in the cup, but even Weasley didn't seem to believe him. Granger had stuck by him in a very Hufflepuff show of loyalty, but the majority of the school seemed to think that he had put his own name in the cup. Cedric really didn't know, the younger teen seemed rather nervous and maybe even a bit scared about what was to come. He watched as the other Hogwarts champion paced the tent staring at the miniature dragon that he had to face. As he was called to take on his own dragon he put all thoughts of Harry Potter out of his mind.

It wasn't until they were all back in the champions tent with their friends that he allowed the younger man to enter his thoughts. His skill on a broom was undeniable and his performance had been amazing to watch. Cedric watched as Harry made up with the younger Gryffindor, the redhead apologising for not believing him. After watching Harry's reaction before and after the task Cedric realised that he agreed with Weasley, it seemed mental that Potter would put his name in for the tournament. After all, it wasn't as if Potter needed the fame or the glory, he had both already. The prize money wouldn't be much of an incentive either as he had the Potter fortune and it wasn't as if he had an allowance or restrictions on the money, it was all his.

There was also the fact that Harry had told him about the dragons. If the other champion had entered the tournament himself he would be in it to win, but he had helped his fellow competitor. Cedric continued to watch the other teen whilst talking away with his friends, waiting for Madame Pomphrey to allow him to leave her care.

Cedric nodded to the other champions before leaving the tent with his friends, hoping to get back to his common room without running into Cho Chang. The Ravenclaw had been following him about since he had been made champion trying to get him to date her. Cedric snorted at the idea, that wasn't going to happen, she really wasn't his type. Cedric wanted someone who could balance him out, someone who would protect him, but allow him to be protective in return. Cho, from what he knew of her, was too selfish and concerned with her image to be a good fit for him. That and she was female, Cedric had long ago realised that a relationship with the gentler sex was not what he wanted from life.

Leaving the tent, Cedric and his friends were quickly surrounded by a group of Hufflepuffs who began to move as a group through the crowd towards the castle. Each Hufflepuff had a grin on their face as they made their way to the common room where they would begin the celebration. They managed to get there without bumping into anyone that Cedric didn't want to, congratulations being passed to him as they made their way through the halls.

Once they were back in their common room the butterbeer was passed out and some of the seventh years had set up a wizarding wireless. The party had only just begun when Professor Sprout arrived to give her congratulations and give out the warnings and notices to them, the times she wanted each year to have gone to bed by and when the party needed to stop and the clean-up begin. Hufflepuff house as a whole nodded and bid her good night before getting back to the party. As soon as she left one of the seventh years opened a bottle of fire whiskey and started passing it around to all those of age, Cedric first. Once they all had a glass or bottle in hand one of the other Hufflepuffs stood on a chair to make a toast. "To Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts Champion."

Cedric smiled, bowing at the toast, before throwing back his drink and standing on his own chair. He had something to say, and the rest of the house might not like it, but it was what he now believed. "To Harry Potter, Hogwarts Champion, Hufflepuff in nature."

The others toasted with him but he could tell that there was some confusion about why he would toast his competitor and what he meant by the Hufflepuff comment. Cedric explained to the house as a whole about what Harry had done, telling him about the dragon and how Cedric believed the younger man and his claims that he hadn't put his name in the cup. He also told them that he didn't want to see any of them wearing 'Potter Stinks' badges as that wasn't Hufflepuff of them.

As he lay in bed that night Cedric realised that he wanted to protect the younger Gryffindor, from those within his own house and from the rest of the school. There was something about the younger boy that just seemed to be calling to him, it had been since he had warned him about the danger to come in the first task. Drifting off to sleep his last thoughts were a realisation, he Cedric Diggory, the Hero of Hufflepuff, was falling for Harry Potter, the Gryffindor Golden Boy.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Written for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Acacia - **Write about a stubborn character or act of stubbornness.**

Awakening the morning after the first task with a hangover was somewhat expected so Cedric didn't think much of it. Once his headache began to clear after a shower and a sobering potion though, he began to re-examine the evening before. He was falling for Harry Potter, he wanted to have the younger boy, keep him for himself and enjoy him as much as possible. It seemed bizarre to him, that he was suddenly realising this, but it was mainly due to his intense desire to protect the younger man from the dangers that had appeared as a result of the tournament. Cedric had always had an intense protective streak, and it was something that he had long acknowledged would follow through into any relationship that he had.

It could be considered odd or even creepy, but his protective desires had meant that he had taken notice of Harry. At first Cedric had been studying him trying to figure out if he had put his name in the cup, but during the time that he was watching him he noted many little things about Harry Potter that he found endearing. Despite what people thought, Harry seemed to shy away from attention unless it was absolutely necessary, showing Cedric that he would be willing to be protected and shielded, but would also stand up on his own two feet and do the protecting if necessary, something that Cedric had been looking for in a partner.

There were many little things about Harry that Cedric liked and he was going to find out more, even if it meant following the Gryffindor surreptitiously. He would prefer to become his friend though, it would make the step to a relationship that much easier. Some would have problems with their relationship, mainly the muggleborns who didn't seem to have the same opinions on age gaps and same sex, but Cedric didn't care. The age difference between them wasn't huge, it was only three years, and Harry had been practically declared an adult when he hadn't been removed from the tournament despite the age restriction, so in the eyes of the ministry as long as it was a consenting relationship everything would be legal.

Cedric went down to breakfast with a plan in mind to make Harry Potter his own, the younger boy would have no idea what had hit him. Cedric was planning to be charming and kind and shower the younger man with gifts, not in an obvious way, but small things, a pack of his favourite sweets here a new quill there. The main thing that Cedric would give Harry was something that would put them on an equal footing, he was going to discover the clue to the second task and tell Harry. It would show the younger man how much his help was appreciated, but also prove that Cedric wasn't just out for himself and would provide as much help to Harry as he could offer as well.

His plans for wooing Harry seemed to be going well, and he could often see Harry nibbling away on the end of one of the sugar quills that he had sent him, but figuring out the clue to the task was harder than it had seemed. And there was also the problem of the Yule ball to dwell on. Cedric wanted to take Harry, but it would be too sudden, too out of the blue. Harry had been responding to the little notes he had been sending along with the gifts, but Cedric was sure that it was too soon to reveal that it was him that was behind them.

It didn't help Cedric that Cho Chang was still following him about, hoping to snare him for herself, but in the end he decided to use that to his advantage. Rumours in Hogwarts spread like wildfire, and it was well known that Ron Weasley wasn't the most discreet person in the school, so when it got to Cedric about who Harry was planning to ask to the ball he knew he had to act. He allowed Cho to corner him, letting his friends go off to class on their own, despite the wary glances they were giving him. Asking Cho to the ball meant that he wouldn't have to watch her in Harry's arms all evening, as he knew that if she couldn't have him she wouldn't say no to the other Hogwarts Champion. He made it known though that they were only going as friends, he had no time for a relationship at the moment what with trying to balance his coursework and the tournament.

The night of the ball finally arrived and while Cho looked good, Harry looked lovely, his dress robes making him look absolutely perfect. Cedric took the opportunity during the ball when Cho was occupied with one of her friends to sneak off to speak to Harry. He thanked him for the tip about the dragon and then gave him his own about the egg, as well as the password to the Prefect's bathroom, so that he could figure the clue out in privacy as he had done.

They stayed together talking for a while, Harry's date having gone off with some boy from Beauxbatons earlier in the night. Cedric dropped a few hints about himself being the secret admirer that Harry had been trying to figure out the identity of, but wasn't overt with his clues at all. He would inform the other boy soon though, he really didn't want Harry with anyone else, the younger boy would belong to him soon. No-one else would be able to gain Harry's attention but him, his taking Cho to the ball so Harry couldn't showed how stubborn he was, and he didn't intend to lose out to anyone else.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Written for for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Maple - **Write about a journey.**

The February morning of the second task was a cold one, and Cedric didn't want to get out of bed, the idea of having to swim to the bottom of the lake to rescue someone that he would sorely miss wasn't a prospect he relished. He knew that they wouldn't have used his parents and that anyone who was still under the lake after the time ran out would be rescued, death was only involved for the champions not the hostages. The one person who he would sorely miss wouldn't be at the bottom of the lake though, he would be swimming that lake with him to find someone he sorely missed.

Cedric just hoped that it wasn't Cho that Harry had to rescue from the lake, he had spoken to Harry quite a bit recently, both as Cedric and as the younger boy's secret admirer, and he could tell that Harry was still a bit interested in the girl. Cedric didn't understand it to be honest, she wasn't the nicest person personality wise and she seemed like the complete opposite of Harry. Knowing that Harry too would be making his way through the lake is what had Cedric getting out of bed and down to the lake to participate in the task, the opportunity to see the boy just in shorts was something that he was unwilling to pass up.

As he stood at the edge of the lake in just his shorts he took a look at the other champions, Fleur looked a bit nervous, Krum looked confident, and Harry, well Harry looked positively green. It seemed like he was more nervous and scared of this task than of the dragon, something that didn't make sense, unless he was unable to swim. The thought hit Cedric and he paled a little, what if that was the case, what if Harry was unable to swim.

He wondered what the boy had planned to do to get to the bottom of the lake, if he used the bubblehead charm like Cedric himself intended to he would still have to be able to swim on his own. Cedric just hoped that whatever method the boy intended to use was one that would get him to the bottom of the lake and back safely. As the task was started and Cedric cast his charm he noted that Harry swallowed something before getting into the lake and watched in awe as Harry began to grow fins as gills appeared on his skin, gillyweed. Cedric almost crowed in surprise, he hadn't thought of the plant, but was glad that Harry had taken something that gave him some measure of strength or protection in the lake.

He watched as Harry took off into the black depths before following after him, hoping to be able to stay close enough to protect him if necessary, he had a lot more magical knowledge than Harry after all, and the things in the lake weren't exactly the friendliest, with the exception of the Giant Squid of course. He ended up getting caught up with a few different water creatures, but was soon on his way down to the bottom of the lake where his hostage and his Harry would await. He hoped that Harry was still there so that he could make sure that he was okay, but at the same time he hoped that he was already on his way back to the surface where he was safe.

He continued to swim, taking note of his surroundings, but unable to really take the time to admire anything under the lake. Maybe he would come down again after the tournament was over, he might be able to convince Harry to come with him if the younger boy wasn't traumatised from this trip beneath the lake. He passed Krum, who had obviously done a complex transfiguration, half-shark that he was, pulling Granger with him towards the surface. He hadn't thought that they were that close, but then again they had to use someone who was on the grounds at the time of the task, and Granger was probably the only one outside of his school that he spoke to.

Cedric when reaching the merpeople realised that Harry was still there, appearing to try and argue with them. Looking at the situation he realised that Weasley was obviously Harry's hostage, Cho was his, and the little girl must be Delacour's. He cut the bindings that held Cho, catching Harry's attention and making sure that Weasley was free, before attempting to try and distract the merpeople. Harry obviously realised his plan because between the two of them, they were soon on their way back to the surface together, with both their hostages and what looked to be Fleur's little sister. They held their own hostage themselves and the little girl between them, making sure that they kept a grip on her and that they didn't lose her on their journey back to the surface, the angry merpeople chasing behind them.

It was kind of nice to be swimming back to the surface with Harry, the other boy smiled at him, thanking him for helping him to bring the little girl with them. Not many would understand Harry's need to bring her with him, not when there would be no real danger to the hostages, but Cedric could see that it meant a lot to the other. He hadn't wanted to leave the little girl alone under the lake, and Cedric didn't want Harry to stay down there with her, especially when he had no idea how much longer the gillyweed would last. So while they may have had different reasons for bringing her to the surface, the main thing was that Cedric had gone even higher in Harry's estimations. It did mean however that with how angry the merpeople seemed that they would be unable to take another trip under the lake, it just meant that Cedric would have to come up with something else as a spectacular date for him and Harry.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Written for for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Sycamore - **Write about a new experience for a character.**

Cedric was nervous, he hadn't really thought too much about how he was going to reveal himself to Harry as his secret admirer, but now the time had come he wished he had thought more about what he had intended to say. He had never really had to admit or confess that he was behind a gift before, normally if he wanted to date someone he just asked them out, but Harry was different, he wanted to take the time to court him and spoil him a bit, give him something just for him.

He had thought that the little gifts would cheer the boy up a bit with all the madness going on around him due to the tournament. He knew though that a strange owl, or even the Hogwarts owls bringing Harry gifts would get attention though, something that the boy seemed to hate, so he had taken a different approach. He had gone to the kitchens in an attempt to get a house elf to help him in his quest to woo Harry. He had been surprised when one volunteered immediately, but not before making him take an oath that he wasn't attempting to harm Harry in any way and that the gifts were nothing dangerous. The little elf had been happy with that and had promised to take his gifts to Harry, he just had to call for Dobby when he needed to get a gift to Harry. He had called the elf not long ago and sent him off to Harry with a note asking him to meet him in an abandoned classroom.

He hoped that Harry came, he knew that the other boy might decide against it, after all who knew whether he would live up to whatever picture Harry had painted of his secret admirer. For all Cedric knew Harry could think he was a girl, he had no idea if Harry was even interested in guys, this meeting could end dreadfully. For almost a minute Cedric hoped that Harry didn't turn up and at least that way this wouldn't be over already, but he crushed that thought. Harry would turn up, and if things didn't go the way that Cedric hoped they would Harry wouldn't make a fuss of it he was sure of it, it wasn't in the little Gryffindor's nature.

Cedric sat bolt upright when he heard the classroom door squeak open, and watched the door in anticipation, waiting for Harry to walk through it. It wasn't Harry who pushed the door open though, but rather the house elf. He watched as the elf opened the door and looked around, his large tennis ball eyes landing on Cedric for a moment assessing him before stepping back out of the room. Cedric stared at the doorway, a bit confused, but a moment later Harry entered the room and the door closed behind him.

He stared at Harry for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say to the boy now that he had arrived. Harry didn't seem too surprised to see him though, which made Cedric wonder if perhaps Harry had figured out that he was his secret admirer. Gathering his courage Cedric spoke, quickly greeting Harry and offering him one of the chairs in the room.

Harry sat down, never once taking his eyes off Cedric, something that was beginning to unnerve the Hufflepuff. "So you wanted to see me Cedric?"

"Yes, I wanted to ask if you would go on a date with me." Cedric began before blurting out the question that had been bothering him since Harry had arrived, "Why aren't you surprised to see me?"

"Dobby told me who was sending me the gifts when I asked him. It was a good way to get things to me, but you should have asked for secrecy." Harry chuckled. "Thank you for the gifts, they were sweet. "

Cedric looked at him trying to come to terms with everything, "So you have known from the beginning that it was me?"

"Not quite the beginning, but near enough." Harry replied. "One thing that I don't understand though, is if you were pursuing me, why you asked Cho to the ball."

Cedric blushed a bit, not knowing if he wanted the other boy to know about how jealous and possessive he was straight away, but knowing that the other probably wouldn't agree to date him if he thought he would be stringing someone else along. "I didn't want her to ask you, or for you to ask her, so I made sure that she was unavailable for the ball."

Harry just stared at him for a moment before laughing a bit, "That's kind of sweet. So she knows that there is nothing between you?"

"Yes. I made it clear that I just wanted a date for the ball and that I wasn't looking for a relationship with her." Cedric replied, he really hoped Harry said yes.

"Next Hogsmeade weekend? Or did you have something else in mind?" Harry asked. "I don't really want any more attention than I already get."

Cedric smiled, "I was thinking something private and quiet in the room of requirement on the seventh floor, maybe tomorrow night."

When Harry agreed to his first ever date, with another boy no less, he was soon caught up in another first as Cedric placed a rather sweet kiss on his lips before offering to walk him back to his common room.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Written for for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Elder - **Write about an act of greed.**

Cedric wasn't a greedy person by nature, he was a Hufflepuff and he had always worked hard for everything he wanted. He had never wanted anything to excess, but that was before he fell for Harry Potter. Cedric found himself now trying to have as much of Harry's time for himself. The other boy still slept in his dorm in Gryffindor, but he seemed to spend less time in the tower now or with his friends.

After their first date in the room of requirement, a picnic on a beach, Cedric had continued to surprise Harry with little dates in the room, as well as one to Hogsmeade. They kept their relationship quiet in an attempt to avoid a lot of attention or speculation, but it was becoming harder to do so. Every time that Cedric saw some girl flirt with Harry he wanted to reveal their relationship and take his boyfriend away somewhere to spend time with him alone.

He knew that that was not what either of them needed at the moment though, they needed to focus on the challenge that was ahead of them, not the media frenzy that would spark from them announcing their relationship. As long as Harry knew that he belonged to Cedric he was happy to let their relationship stay secret, it added a bit of excitement to sneak around to meet with each other.

They had been spending as much time together as they could getting to know one another, and preparing for the final task. They weren't really supposed to help each other or train together, but if either of them won it was a win for Hogwarts over their competitors in the national arena. Cedric was hoping that it would be a Hogwarts win, that was why he had entered the tournament after all, to win and earn the prize money and more importantly the glory for Hufflepuff house.

He would like to win, but if Harry won he wouldn't complain, if his boyfriend was able to win against competitors with three more years magical education then really he deserved the glory. With the glory though was all the fawning. That was not something that Cedric wasn't looking forward to if either he or Harry won. If Harry won the idea of the girls and even some of the guys fawning over Harry more than they already were was not a prospect he relished. And if he won he would have to put up with them buzzing around him, in a way it would be better if either Krum or Delacour won and they could deal with the hassle that came with the glory.

Cedric knew though that he wouldn't really be satisfied if one of the other schools won, he wanted the glory to show that Hufflepuff house weren't worthless, he also wanted to prove that he was worthy of Harry. So it was with greed in mind that he entered the maze, he wanted to win, he had to win that cup. When he felt the unforgivable hit him he thought that the challenge was up for him completely, but Harry turned up and rescued him. He hadn't thought that Krum was that bad, but it just showed that really you couldn't trust who you thought people to be. They sent up red sparks for someone to come and collect Krum before sharing a quick kiss and rushing off down separate paths.

They had both seen the red sparks earlier on, so Fleur was obviously out of the running as well, so it was just the two of them left. It was a Hogwarts win, whichever of them reached the cup first, but it was also for them. Harry deserved it really, he had done so much in the tournament, at his age Cedric would have done nowhere near as well as Harry had done. At the same time though, Cedric felt that he deserved to take the cup, he was the original Hogwarts champion, Harry was in the competition through some sort of fluke.

When Cedric reached the cup Harry was approaching from the opposite direction, at about the same distance as Cedric. They stopped as they got to the cup sharing a look between them as if deciding what to do. Cedric knew he could reach out and take the glory for himself, but when they were both their that wouldn't be fair on Harry and the other boy might lose respect for him. Instead he reached for Harry's hand, entwining the fingers with his own. "Together." He smiled at his boyfriend, and as one they reached out and grasped a handle of the cup each, not letting go of the other hand that was clasped in theirs.

As the cup started to whisk them away from the maze Cedric felt that this could be the punishment for his greed, he had wanted both the glory and Harry, maybe he should have just let his boyfriend take the cup for himself. When the portkey dropped them in a graveyard Cedric knew that there was something definitely wrong, especially when someone started to walk towards them holding a bundle in their arms. Then a high pitched voice sounded, "Kill the spare."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Written for for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Aspen - **Write about a duel or a battle. **

Cedric was surprised when he saw the jet of green light the same colour as his boyfriends eyes speeding towards him. He almost didn't react in time, as the killing curse missed him by millimetres as he shifted at the last moment. A quick startled glance shared between him and Harry had him falling as if he had been hit by the curse. Neither of them knew exactly what was going on, but it was better to had an advantage. If playing dead allowed Cedric to come up with a plan to get them out of this mess, he would play dead.

Cedric kept his eyes closed and listened to everything that was going on trying to work out exactly what was happening. He listened as Harry was bound to a gravestone and the man began to start a ritual. He had the bundle placed into the cauldron and the ingredients for the ritual added in order; bone of the father unknowingly given, flesh of the servant willingly sacrificed and the blood of a foe forcibly taken. When he heard of Harry's blood being taken as the foe it wasn't hard to figure out what was happening. It didn't take a Ravenclaw to figure out that they were about to witness the rebirth of Lord Voldemort.

Cedric prayed to Merlin that the ritual failed and could imagine Harry doing the same. He didn't know what they could do to get out of this situation. He could apparate, he wasn't licenced yet, but he knew how to do it. Harry couldn't though, so Cedric would have to take them both, which would mean being in contact with Harry. That plan would only work if there were no anti-apparition wards up though. There was nothing for it, he would have to wait for the perfect opportunity to get to Harry and get them away from there.

Cedric listened as Voldemort taunted Harry before calling for his followers. He had almost growled when he heard Voldemort talk about how he was able to touch Harry now. Harry was his alone to touch. The one good thing though was that there were no wards blocking apparition. Voldemort obviously hadn't been expecting him to be there, he was just a spare, it had been Harry they had been waiting for. This was why Harry was in the tournament Cedric realised, it had all been leading to this moment. That meant that there was someone at Hogwarts pulling the strings, so it wasn't safe to go back there.

Cedric waited for his opportunity and was glad to hear that Harry had been given his wand back, knowing that it meant a better chance for them to escape, even if he was only given it to duel with the Dark Lord. Knowing that all the Death Eaters would be watching the duel and that Voldemort would be focused on Harry, Cedric took the opportunity to look around and work out where everyone was. He watched as his boyfriend was put under the imperious curse and made to bow, pride filling him as Harry fought the curse. He then looked on as Voldemort started throwing curses that Harry was only just able to avoid.

When Cedric heard the killing curse he leapt up to defend Harry to push him out of the way, but his boyfriend had already reacted with a disarming spell that he sent back at Voldemort. It wouldn't be enough to stop the curse though and fear raced through Cedric until the two curses connected and Harry's started to push the killing curse back towards Voldemort. Cedric was amazed at the dome that had formed around them blocking the Death Eaters and their curses from reaching them. Cedric stood fully, knowing that Voldemort couldn't pull his focus away from Harry at the moment to curse him and that the spells would not reach them inside the dome. He made his way to stand at Harry's side, placing his hand on his shoulder to help ground him, and so that he was ready to apparated his boyfriend away.

He could feel Harry tense as figures began to emerge from Voldemorts' wand circling them in the dome, ghosts or echoes of the people the mad man had killed. They both waited, knowing that the forms of Lily and James Potter were bound to appear, and appear they did. Voldemort was looking more annoyed the more people who appeared from his wand, but he seemed unsure on how to stop it. Cedric listened as the echoes of his boyfriends' parents spoke, telling Harry how proud of him they were and how they would distract Voldemort when he broke the connection so that they could escape. Cedric was surprised though when James Potter stopped to speak to him as Harry broke the connection, telling him that he and Lily approved of him and asked him to look after Harry. Cedric just nodded solemnly promising even as he grabbed a firm hold of Harry and apparated them away from the graveyard towards somewhere safe. Hogwarts was out so he took them to one place that he knew that they would be safe, the office of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, a fellow Hufflepuff.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Written for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Fir - **Write about a strong character.**

Cedric had met Amelia Bones a few times in the past through his father and through Susan who was in his house in Harry's year, but he had never turned up at her office unannounced before, he did however consider this an emergency. He had apparated them to the Ministry straight into his father's office that he had been in many times before rushing them to the Department of Law Enforcement, hoping that they weren't seen by anyone who would stop them from getting to where they needed to be.

Getting into Amelia Bones' office was a lot harder than getting into the department, as they had to bypass her secretary, but Cedric felt that he must have finally impressed upon her the importance of them seeing Madame Bones as they were soon escorted into the office where the witch was working on paperwork. They were invited to sit and Madame Bones stopped working on her papers to study them.

Cedric wanted to get straight to the heart of the matter, knowing that the woman was about getting things done quickly. First though he had to make sure that they were safe, that Harry was safe, he had promised his father to protect him. "Madame Bones, we come to you to petition for sanctuary." Cedric spoke with confidence knowing that it would be accepted, any magical child could ask for sanctuary and have it granted by the DMLE. It meant that they would be in the protective custody of the Head of the DMLE, and no-one else would be able to have access to or control over them until the sanctuary was revoked. His sanctuary was a grey area as he had already come of age, it was a little known fact that sanctuary rites extended until the eighteenth year.

Once Madame Bones had accepted their petition of sanctuary she turned to Cedric with a questioning look on her face, one that was punctuated by her raised eyebrow. Cedric looked to Harry and noticed that he seemed to be in shock and his arm was still bleeding. He brought the cut to the woman's attention asking her to heal it before beginning to tell her exactly what had happened from the moment they had stepped into the maze earlier that evening.

When he got to the point when they were portkeyed away from the maze Harry sat up straighter and looked Madame Bones straight in the eye, taking her attention away from Cedric and the story he was telling.

"I knew that I was in the tournament for someone else's sick pleasure, I said I hadn't put my name in, but still I was forced to compete." Harry murmured, his displeasure at the whole situation showing clearly on his face.

"We portkeyed into a graveyard, there was a man there and he was carrying a bundle, a ritual set up was waiting as well. The bundle called for the spare to be killed and the killing curse was cast towards me." Cedric said, "I only just missed it, and I played possum for as long as I was able to come up with a plan to get us out of there."

"The bundle was Voldemort though, and he's back now." Harry spoke quietly, showing Madame Bones the cut she had healed, "He took my blood, his father's bone and Pettigrew's flesh."

"Pettigrew? As in Peter Pettigrew?" Madame Bones questioned sharply, hissing as Harry nodded his head to her question. "I want to see both your memories of the events, rather than you having to tell the whole story."

Cedric nodded, and immediately moved towards Madame Bones to allow her to draw his memory of the situation, Harry followed him at a much slower pace, obviously unsure about whether or not to trust his memories to the witch in front of him. Under the rite of sanctuary though, there was nothing that she could do to hurt them, including using their memories against them.

Harry moved back to his chair as Madame Bones made towards the pensive armed with their memories, he had no wish to relive the earlier events, he was bound to have nightmares as it was. Cedric joined his boyfriend taking his hands in his and muttering soothingly to him, he explained about the rite of sanctuary and about how Madame Bones was all about justice, she would make sure that something was done about this.

When Madame Bones emerged from the pensive she was alternating between pale and bright red in anger. "Mr Potter, Do you have a way to contact Mr Black?" Madame Bones began, "I wish to question him under veritaserum due to the fact that Peter Pettigrew is alive to get clarification about what happened the night that you r parents died."

"I don't know where he his, but I can contact him for you." Harry spoke quietly, obviously wishing to protect Black for some reason.

Cedric looked to Madame Bones, wondering what was going to happen now that she had seen Voldemort's return for herself. "There is still the issue of the person who put Harry's name in the goblet. We don't know who it is, but they must have been at the school the whole time guiding things in the tournament. It was probably them who had Krum under the imperious curse making him eliminate the other competitors to make it easier for Harry to get to the cup."

"I will be sending some Aurors to Hogwarts in a moment, as well as to a few other places to collect all the Death Eaters who were named in your memories, with those as proof I can question the under veritaserum to get the truth." Madame Bones began. "The first thing that I need to deal with though is your claim for sanctuary, before I can get on with dealing with this mess I need to place you boys somewhere safe."

A moment or two later after taking her wand from her holster and a piece of parchment from her desk she spoke an incantation quietly that neither of the boys heard what it was, before she instructed them to touch the parchment. They did so, and soon felt the hook behind their navel that they associated with portkey travel. When they landed it was in a large foyer, and Madame Bones was leading them quickly up a set of stairs towards what looked to be a guest room.

"You can stay here until I get back, I am the only one living here at the moment with Susan being at Hogwarts, so you won't be discovered by anyone. My house elf Grace will answer your call if you need anything or if you need to get a message to me quickly. Take a bath, get clean and then try and get some sleep, when I return I should have a handle on Voldemort's resurrection. May I be allowed to tell your parents and friends that you are alive, she looked at Cedric and Harry respectively.

Cedric nodded at her, and she left the room, allowing the boys to strip in private and head for the bathroom, Cedric pulling Harry along with him to bathe, helping the other boy and getting him washed, dried and into some clean clothing that the elf had brought for them. He then lead him back through to the bedroom where he steered his boyfriend toward the bed. They lay down and Cedric began muttering to Harry and talking quietly about how things would be okay and watched as Harry fell into slumber before he joined him.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Written for **The Wand Wood Challenge/Competition ** Prompt: Poplar - **Write about someone fighting for change.**

When Cedric awoke the next morning he was full of mixed emotions; fear for his parents who could be targeted as a result of his actions, curiosity about what Madame Bones had been up to and what was going on in the world, worry for Harry about how the boy would cope with the events of the previous day, and happiness that he had Harry in his arms despite the circumstances. His younger boyfriend was curled up in his arms, still sleeping, if a little fitfully. Cedric smiled down at him, his hair sticking out in every direction imaginable, sleep still holding him. It didn't hold him for long though as Grace popped into the room startling them both and awakening Harry from his slumber.

"Good Morning Sirs." The house elf began, "I is bringing breakfast. Mistress asks that you stay in the room, she wills be here for lunch to speak to you."

With that she levitated two trays of food onto the bed and over them, with a large breakfast for each of them and a newspaper each for them. Once that was done, she looked them over once before nodding and disappearing again. Cedric helped Harry sit up properly and bid him good morning before suggesting that they eat and then they could catch up on what was going on in the world and if there was any news of what had happened the evening before in the papers.

They ate quickly, the lure of finding out what was going on in the world was too tempting for them to be patient. Cedric picked up the paper he had first, The Daily Prophet, not the most accurate of sources if Skeeter was writing, but it was better than nothing. The front page had the headline; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns, followed by a picture of the monster that they had seen in graveyard the evening before, Pettigrew at his side. Cedric looked at Harry once before he started to read.

**He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns**

**By Rita Skeeter**

_Last night we were informed by the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that terror once again invades our lives. In a move that shocked the Minister for Magic, Amelia Bones Head of the DMLE turned up at Hogwarts, where the last task of the Triwizard Tournament was in play, with a full cadre of Aurors who immediately began doing identity checks on all present. This was protested by many, but Madame Bones insisted upon the necessity of the process, before informing everyone that the Tournament was over and that the two champions were resting at an undisclosed location, having reached the cup earlier in the evening and having been portkeyed away from Hogwarts without anyone being the wiser._

_This of course caused panic and uproar, Madame Bones, refusing to give the whereabouts of the winners of the Tournament, Cedric Diggory (17) of Hufflepuff House and Harry Potter (14) of Gryffindor House, all she would comment on the matter was that they were safe and recuperating from their experiences. What those experiences were many wished to know, but this reporter feels that now she knows she would have been better of clueless. It appears that the two young Hogwarts students were portkeyed from the supposedly safe grounds of the school to a graveyard where they witnessed the resurrection of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and the gathering of his Death Eaters. _

_Many claimed that this was impossible, Minister Fudge the loudest of the clamourers, but when a group of the aurors submitted the man masquerading as Professor Alastor (Mad-Eye) Moody to veritaserum the plans for the evenings event were told with glee. It appears that for the whole school year the children of Hogwarts have been taught, not by the retired ex-Auror as we all believed, but rather a supposedly deceased Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr._ _Crouch Jr recounted with glee the plans that had been made by his master to use the tournament to capture Harry Potter to use the boy in a ritual designed to resurrect the Darkest wizard that we have had among us. This plan appears to have succeeded and Madame Bones has issued a statement to the press that she hopes will alleviate some of the panic that will surely be felt among us at the prospect of another war like the last one._

**_"My fellow witches and wizards we are at a crossroads now, the magical world can rise as one to protect ourselves and our youth from the massacre that is war. We ourselves have lived through a war, many of us have lost family members to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named _**_(Madame Bones said his name, but for the benefit of not shocking our readers we have edited her statement)**, I for one will not allow this to happen again. This time the Ministry will be doing everything in its power to combat these forces of terror, I ask only that my fellow witches and wizards do the same. Protect yourselves, protect your children and your homes, look after your neighbours and report anything of a suspicious nature to the DMLE immediately."**_

_Madame Bones also stated how the Ministry would be conducting the trial of Barty Crouch Jr immediately and that it would be an open session, allowing anyone who wished to witness the trial in the hopes that everyone learnt as much as they could about the enemy that they were facing. This reporter encourages as many people to attend as possible, and for those who don't attend well this reporter will be there covering the entire event. Let us hope that we can deal with all this unpleasantness as quickly as possibly this time before it spirals out of control as the last war did._

"That wasn't as bad as it could have been coming from Skeeter." Cedric commented, before turning to Harry and picking up the magazine that was on his breakfast tray, The Quibbler. "I Wonder what Mr Lovegood has to say about it all."

**Death Eater Trials Rushed Through – Sirius Black Innocent**

**By Xenophilius Lovegood**

_In light of the knowledge that was the discovery of the resurrection of Lord Voldemort early yesterday evening Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Law Enforcement has issued a rush on the trials of those who are being charged with Death Eater activity. The two trials that were conducted last night were those of Bertemius Crouch Jr and Sirius Black, the only two people to ever have escaped from Azkaban prison._

_Bartemius Crouch Jr it appears it was smuggled out of Azkaban by his now deceased father at the bequest of his dying mother. He then spent the subsequent years under his father's imperious curse until he was freed by Lord Voldemort, they then put his father Bartemius Crouch Sr under the imperious so as to control some of the events within the Ministry of Magic and at Hogwarts with the Triwizard Tournament._

_Bartemius Crouch Jr after being thoroughly questioned about Lord Voldemort's whereabouts and plans as well as his followers has been sentenced by the Wizengamot to the dementors kiss to be carried out at the end of the week._

_The other trial conducted was for Sirius Black, supposed mass murderer who broke himself out of Azkaban after having been imprisoned for over a decade, who the trial brought to light was actually innocent. Madame Bones had evidence to believe that Sirius Black was not completely guilty of the crimes he had apparently been convicted of. It turns out however that Sirius Black was never convicted of any of the crimes that we had been led to believe, as the man never had a trial._

_The charges against him were that of betraying the Potters to Lord Voldemort and the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles, crimes that were in fact committed by Peter Pettigrew, the man who has resurrected the Dark Lord. Sirius Black has been released from Ministry custody with a full pardon and talks of restitution from the Ministry for his years of unlawful imprisonment. Mr Black has also been granted full custody of his godson Harry Potter._

_Other trials that have been scheduled over the next few days are those of Mr Lucius Malfoy; a huge benefactor of Minister Fudge, Mr Crabbe Sr, Mr Goyle Sr, Mr Nott Sr, Mr Avery and Mr Walden Mcnair; executioner for the Department of the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures. We at the Quibbler hope that these trials are swift and prove to be informative for the DMLE to track down more of those people who wish to destabilise our community and the relative peace that we have come to enjoy._


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** Written for ** The Wand Wood Challenge Prompt: **Black Walnut - **Write about a prediction or prophecy.****  
**

When Amelia Bones returned to her house it was to see Cedric and Harry dressed and ready waiting for her to come and get them for lunch, the copies of the Quibbler and the Daily Prophet lay on the bed, and the boys were relieved to see her. Cedric wanted to know that his parents were okay and he was sure that Harry wished to know the same about Sirius Black. The younger boy had explained to his boyfriend that he had known Sirius was innocent since the year before and had been trying to figure out how to get that proven to the world.

They went down to the dining room with the witch, waiting for her to tell them what was going to happen now. She insisted on them eating before she spoke though, something that was annoying to both of them, but they couldn't get her to relent, she was a bit like Madame Pomphrey in that regard. Cedric as soon as they were finished took Harry's hand in his and faced Madame Bones, "What happens now?"

"We are working as quickly as we can to get a handle on this mess, anyone that was seen in your memories is being given a trial under veritaserum, and this time the Wizengamot is sentencing any Death Eaters who are guilty of their crimes to the dementors kiss. I despise the dementors, but at least this way they will be unable to re-join their master. Those in Azkaban who haven't been subjected to veritaserum will be so that we can be assured of their guilt and the same will happen to them. If we can reduce Voldemort's support now and make others unwilling to join then we are off to a great start in stopping him." Madame Bones spoke, looking at them both.

Cedric nodded, understanding what she was saying, "What about Voldemort though? He isn't just going to give up and he isn't going to leave Harry alone."

"We think we know the reason why he is so focused on Harry, but we aren't exactly sure of the full contents of the reason." Amelia spoke, not making much sense, at the confused look they sent her she began to explain, "There is a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries with both Harry's and Voldemort's names on it, it concerns them both and we think that is why he is so focused on Harry."

"A Prophecy." Harry stated calmly, nothing like he felt Cedric was sure. "Like the one Professor Trelawny gave last year? Can I hear it?"

"I don't know about a prophecy last year, but yes you can hear the prophecy that concerns you, we will need to take a trip to the Ministry as the prophecy cannot be removed from the hall of prophecy." Amelia replied.

Cedric looked to his boyfriend sharing a quick conversation in the silence with a few looks alone. "Can we go now Madame Bones?" Cedric asked politely.

The woman agreed and they were soon touching a portkey that took them to Ministry lower levels. Cedric held onto Harry's hand tightly, trying to reassure him that he was there and that he wouldn't leave him, he was positive that his boyfriend was going to have issues with portkeys for a while now after the one that had started this madness the day before. They then walked down a corridor until they came to a non-descript door. Madame Bones went first and they soon found themselves in a room full of doors with Madame Bones and a man in a grey cloak who led them through another door into a room that looked to be full of shelves with little crystals on them and a large circular basin in the centre of the room.

The man led them down an isle before he pointed to one of the crystals and Madame Bones indicated that Harry should take the crystal from the shelf. Once it was removed the man turned from the isle and began to walk away, as if he knew that he couldn't listen to the prophecy. Madmae Bones directed them towards the large basin that she instructed Harry to drop the crystal into. Once the crystal hit the bottom of the basin a voice sounded from the bottom, a voice he recognised, it was Professor Trelawny.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."_

Cedric looked to Madame Bones, hoping that she would tell them what could be done, Harry was just staring blankly at the basin. Cedric knew that the younger boy was thinking about the prophecy it was basically kill or be killed, and Cedric refused to allow either option, there had to be another way. He didn't want Harry to die, but at the same time he didn't want his boyfriend to have to become a murderer, he didn't think that Harry would be able to cope with that.

"Come." Madame Bones stated softly, as she led them from the room. "I believe the Unspeakables have something to discuss with us."

Cedric noted the man in the corner who had obviously been trying to get their attention. They followed the man and they were led into an office further into the department Cedric was sure. The man took down his hood, not that it really mattered as h had a distortion charm on his face so he couldn't figure out who it was anyway.

"We discovered something when you came in." The man spoke directly to Madame Bones, as both boys were unapproachable as they were still under the rite of sanctuary. "It seems that young Mister Potter has a passenger in that scar of his."

Harry's head snapped up in horror, looking at the man as if he was insane, and Cedric felt as though the man might be, what did he mean there was someone or something in Harry's scar.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Written for ** The Wand Wood Challenge Prompt: **Beech - **Alt: write about an invention or creation.**

"We reviewed the memory that you sent us." The Unspeakable spoke to Amelia, "We believe that Voldemort has used Horcruxes to ensure his survival, and that Mister Potter is one of them."

"What's a Horcrux? And how can I be one?" Harry asked the man directly, negating the rite of sanctuary in regard to the man by allowing him to converse with him directly.

"How will it affect Harry? How can we remove it?" Cedric asked his own questions so that the man could include them all in the conversation that was to follow.

"A Horcrux is one of the darkest pieces of magic that there is, it is a soul container. It is said that when one commits a murder that the soul rips, this can be healed though through remorse and time, sometime though in an attempt to protect themselves from death people will take their ripped soul and place part of it in an object for safekeeping, one's soul must be complete in one vessel to successfully die, or rather all parts of the soul must die to ensure death. We believe that Voldemort used this method to avoid his death and that the night that he was destroyed he managed to unintentionally create another Horcrux in Mister Potter here. It would explain why he is a parselmouth when none in his line have ever shown the talent before, it would also explain why that scar is as fresh as the night he received it, and why he was in so much pain in Voldemort's presence." The unspeakable stated, his voice completely level despite the subject matter.

"I have part of his soul in me." Harry muttered, and Cedric rushed to comfort him, his boyfriend wasn't going to take this well.

"How can we remove it?" Cedric asked again.

"There are a few ways, none of them pleasant, but we have come up with a ritual that will remove and destroy the soul piece with minimal risk to Mister Potter." The man spoke, "I would ask you to keep it for a while longer though."

When Cedric went to protest the man held his hand up, "Not for much longer, only a few hours. We have a few tests we would like to perform first if Mister Potter agrees. We think we can you the soul piece in Mister Potter as it was the most recent one split from the whole for the purpose of searching for any other pieces that exist."

"As long as I can get him out of my head." Harry agreed.

Cedric wasn't too sure about the whole thing but went with Harry as he was led into a small ritual chamber, it was just them still, the Unspeakable doing all the testing himself. After an hour of different spells being cast at Harry he stopped, looked at Harry and nodded. He then turned and left the room without speaking, leaving them all there. Cedric looked to Madame Bones, but she just shrugged as if this was usual behaviour from the man who had just left. It was almost half hour later that the man returned, carrying a small potion vial.

"If you will all step to the sides of the room, Mister Potter if you can sit in the centre of the room, I will give you this potion then I intend to enter your mind to help you separate your own soul from the soul harbouring itself in your body."

Cedric watched with unease as Harry went limp on the floor, but the Unspeakable seemed to think that this meant the potion was working and sat down opposite him, took his hands, and entered his mind. It was a tense half hour or so where he and Madame Bones just watched them sit in silence on the floor. Cedric couldn't bear to think about what would happen if they couldn't remove the soul piece from Harry, to know that he was sharing his body with the soul of his parents' murderer was something that Cedric was sure could totally destroy Harry. He knew that if it was him he would always be second guessing his actions, wondering if it was him that was doing things, or if they were the result of the soul piece.

When the unspeakable finally moved he had a small smile on his face, he stood up, turned to him and Madame Bones and informed them that he still had a few spells to cast, ones that the Unspeakables had made with the intention of pulling a whole soul together as one, or rather all the loose part of the soul together. He seemed to be casting an unending stream of Latin, and then he suddenly stopped, he looked straight at Harry's immobile figure on the ground and cast the killing curse.

"No!" Cedric felt the scream rip from his throat, his wand coming out of his holster into his hand and was trained on the unspeakable within seconds, Madame Bones' actions copying his, but it was too late, the green light that had almost taken his life the night before had just hit Harry. He had survived it before but Cedric didn't think that he would get to survive it a second time. Something was different with the curse though, normally it killed instantly, the green light then fading, but this time the green of the curse encompassed Harry, surrounding his body in an ethereal aura. Just as quickly as the aura had appeared it disappeared and the unspeakable moved forward giving Harry another potion before either he or Madame Bones could stop him.

To Cedric's shock and happiness Harry appeared to come round, and the Unspeakable began casting a series of diagnostic charms. Cedric ignored the man, leaving him to Madame Bones to deal with, and rushed forward to take Harry in his arms, he could feel the younger boys' confusion at his actions, but he just needed to see and feel that he was okay.

"It worked." The Unspeakable spoke quietly, obviously knowing that Cedric and Madame Bones were not feeling very charitably towards him at the moment. "He's gone from your head, but so are the other loose soul fragment, they are destroyed. The only piece of his soul now living is the piece in him."

He looked at Harry who seemed to still be a bit confused by everything that had happened, "This should count as by your hand, all the ties that were keeping him tethered are now gone by your doing." He then turned to Madame Bones, "I believe that if you were now to send some Aurors to his location you would be able to deal with him, once and for all."

He then turned to Cedric, bowing his head a little, "I apologise for what I just put you through, but it was necessary, and I am trained in the correct usages, there was no risk to Mister Potter, I just couldn't take the risk that you would interfere if I told you what I was going to do."

Cedric shrugged his shoulders at the man, he was still mad at him, but Harry was okay that was the main thing. Madame Bones then began to lead them out of the department, still as silent as she had spent the majority of their visit. Only once they were outside the main department did she spring into action, sending off various memos to different people, no doubt organising an Auror team to take down Voldemort. She then handed them a portkey, and spoke quietly to them, her voice raising as she spoke the words, "So mote it be." Just as the portkey activated taking them away from the Ministry of Magic Cedric felt the rite of sanctuary end.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Written for ** The Wand Wood Challenge Prompt: **Cedar -**Write about a strong friendship.**

Cedric braced himself as he felt the portkey begin to land, he had his wand at the ready and had made sure that Harry had the same, he couldn't believe that Madame Bones had sent them off into an unknown situation with a portkey after revoking their sanctuary. He didn't know what to think of the situation, but was glad when the portkey touched down somewhere that he recognised, his house. His parents were there waiting for them and his mother grabbed him into a hug as soon as he landed, squeezing him for all that he was worth. There was nothing that he could do to get out of her grip and sending a pleading look to his father only succeeded in getting him to join in the hug as well. He felt like he was trapped there between two octopi and Harry just stood off to the side watching with a wistful look at the scene. He eventually got out of the hug and tugged Harry to him by the hand. "Mum, dad, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Harry Potter."

Cedric smiled at Harry, hoping that he would be okay with the introduction, but he just smiled back. His parents looked between them for a moment before his mother gave her congratulations, nudging his father until he did the same. They spent half hour or so just sat in the living room talking before his father spoke up.

"Come on. It's time to go." Amos Diggory then began ushering them towards the door. At Cedric's questioning look he answered, "The Weasley's house. They want to see Potter, you came here first so that we could be assured you were okay, Madame Bones said that she would be unable to get you to take separate portkeys. I believe your godfather will be there Potter."

Harry just nodded at the thought, he would be glad to see everyone again. Cedric looked at the small smile on Harry's face at the thought of his godfather, it would be good for Harry to have someone to look after him for a change, someone of his own. When they reached the Burrow he could tell that Harry was surprised as he was at the noise level, he didn't think that the Weasley adults could make that much noise. All was revealed when they went inside and found the Weasley kids there as well. As soon as they crossed the threshold Harry was buried under a pile of bushy hair that could only belong to Hermione Granger, she was speaking rapidly to him and he was nodding along as if he could follow her high speed conversation. He noticed that the youngest Weasley boy was doing the same, and realised that he probably could follow along with the conversation, he hadn't realised that it was possible, but it must be a regular occurrence from her.

Before he could say anything to anyone Cedric found himself in a hug that rivalled that of his parents' and found that Mrs. Weasley had him in the tightest hug imaginable. "Thank you, for looking after Harry." She said, staring at him with a look of happiness.

Cedric just smiled at her and told her that it was his pleasure before going to help the Weasley boy rescue Harry from Hermione. There wasn't much they were able to do, but at least they managed to get them away from the door so that Cedric's parents could get in and they could shut the door. A voice managed to get Harry to break free of Hermione on his own when he heard his godfather call out to him.

Cedric watched as Harry greeted his godfather pulling him into a tight hug, he heard the two whispering to each other fiercely. "We'll go to Gringotts once this is all dealt with and see about a house. There are some lovely properties up in Hogsmeade, or we can try somewhere else." Sirius told him and Harry just nodded along happily at the idea of getting to live with his godfather. He let him out of the tight hug, before pulling him over to where Cedric stood waiting.

"Siri," Harry began, "I want you to meet Cedric Diggory, my boyfriend."

Cedric gulped as he saw the smirk cross Sirius' face, he had heard yesterday when Harry had been telling him about his godfather that he was a prankster, and he hoped that the man would let him off lightly.

"It's nice to meet you Mr Black, Harry speaks highly of you." Cedric spoke hoping to earn the man's respect straight off the bat.

Cedric listened to the man's threats to protect Harry and what would happen to him if he hurt Harry. He was then joined by all the Weasley's and Hermione in the threats, if Cedric was honest he was more afraid of what Hermione and the youngest Weasley, Ginny, would do to him if he hurt Harry. He was glad for him though, that he had such good friends, their friendship was a strong one, and he hoped that he could become a part of it.

When Mr Weasley came into the room he had a broad grin on his face, "It was just on the wireless, it's over, he's gone. The Aurors dealt with him."

Cedric smiled as he pulled Harry to him, there was another way, Harry hadn't had to kill anyone, and Voldemort would never be able to hurt him ever again.


End file.
